Welcome!
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Please take a moment to complete the myths and
realities of gifted education survey you received at
the door.
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Presenter: Ms. Christina Allred
Gifted and Talented Facilitator
Nathan Hale Magnet Middle School for
Leadership and Social Justice
UNDERACHIEVEMENT
OF GIFTED MINORITY
STUDENTS
NAG 2011
Ms. Christina Allred
Cultural Conflict Statistics
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Although 68% of pupils in the nation’s 100 largest
school districts are youths of color, approximately
87% of all teachers are white (National Center for
Education Statistics, 1997, 2001).
Many researchers have speculated that cultural
conflict precipitates school failure for students of
color, particularly youths from low-income
backgrounds (Byers & Byers,1972; Nieto, 1999,
2000; Gay, 2000).
Other People’s Children
-Lisa Delpit
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We live in a world where our nation is consistently
becoming more diverse.
Minority students represent the majority in all but
two of the twenty-five major cities in the U.S.
40% of the students in today’s classrooms are
nonwhite students.
Think about communicating across racial, social,
cultural, or lines of unequal power.
Coping in the Classroom
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Students’ behavioral success is closely linked with
their ability to decode implicit teacher expectations
and cues. Code Switching
Disciplinary practices and understanding of those
practices = success. Kagan
Lack of motivation looks like: Laziness, Defiance,
Distraction/Disengagement, Procrastination,
Passive aggression
Impact of Student Behavior
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Prior Achievement
Prior Behavior
Prior Placement
SES
Language Ability
Physical Attributes
Gender
Race/Ethnicity
Gagne – DMGT
(differentiated model of giftedness and talent)
Epistemology
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How we know what we know
What we bring to the table
Introduction to the Innocent Classroom: Alexs Pate
Identification
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Media/Societal messages
Stereotypical racial identity
Mentoring programs
i.e. 100 Black Men of Omaha
Motivation
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By 1999 one out of every four students dropped out
of high school before graduation.
The drop out rate for Hispanic and African
American students 16 and over is 50%.
Real world application is the key, raising the bar in
all classes, not just honors classes. Low
expectations breed minimal performance.
Honors by Contract-OPS pilot program
Ten Successful Tips for Student
Achievement
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Develop strong bonds with diverse students
Identify and build on the strengths of all students
Help students overcome their fear of failure
Help students overcome their rejection of success
Set short-term and long-term goals with and for
your students
Develop teaching styles that are more congruent
with the learning styles of minority students
Tips Continued
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Use homework and television to your advantage
Communicate to see that your real intentions are
understood
Establish a good school and classroom climate of
support and encouragement
Strengthen relations between home and school
White-Black Achievement Gap
Ten Theories
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The deficit-deprivation theory
The theory of structural inequality
Tracking
The theory of cultural discontinuity
The “fourth grade failure system”
The “acting white” theory
The “peer pressure” and “lure of street life” theory
The “parents are at fault” theory
Unprepared teachers
Low teacher expectations
Motivating the Gifted Child
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Challenge
Commitment
Control
Compassion
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Love and Learning Dr. Carol Strip Whitney
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Challenge
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Raise the bar
Critical thinking skills
Blooms taxonomy Edupress
Depth and Complexity
Differentiated Instruction
Ability grouping
Acceleration
Commitment
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Motivation: a desire for and a movement to a
specific goal
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Attribution Theory
Goal Theory
Self-determination Theory
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Control
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Choice in learning
Creating a state of flow
Including enough teacher guidance
Gaining a sense of responsibility and ownership for
student learning
Compassion
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60-90% of gifted children have admitted being
bullied.
Gifted students are already stressed about others
and their own expectations.
They struggle to make sense of cruelty and
aggression.
Social/Emotional traits of gifted students
Myths and Realities
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Revisit the myths and realities survey.
What can we do as educators to dispel the myths
and implement the realities?
Email me with comments or questions at
christina.allred@ops.org
Sources
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A Love of Learning Dr. Carol Whitney
Other People’s Children Lisa Delpit
http://www.humanitieslearning.org/